This invention relates generally to particle fabrication, and more particularly relates to generation of structured microparticles and nanoparticles.
Known so-called ‘bottom-up’ approaches for forming particles, such as nanoparticles, generally rely on nucleation, chemical reactions, or self-assembly processes. The particles produced using such approaches are typically characterized by a large dispersion in size and shape distributions, and are generally hampered by particle coalescence and agglomeration during particle growth. Conversely, so-called ‘top-down’ approaches, such as microfluidics, lithography, and imprint lithography, typically yield larger, mono-disperse particles, but each such approach is generally suited only to a specific material and particle size range that is determined by the underlying kinetics of the process.